FORMER Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) secretary-general Wellington Chibebe has been re-elected deputy general secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) for another four-year term.
Christopher Mahove OWN CORRESPONDENT
Chibebe (50) was endorsed by the ITUC general council members at their third world congress in Berlin, Germany, last week.
The week-long congress was attended by 1 500 delegates where more than 300 members voted on behalf of their organisations according to their declared membership.
Speaking from his base in Belgium yesterday, Chibebe said the whole secretariat was re-elected unopposed, except for the general-secretary Sharan Burrow, who was contested.
“We were re-elected by the general council for another four-year term and the whole secretariat was retained although the chief [general-secretary Burrow] was contested,” Chibebe said.
“The re-election, coming from delegates from across the globe, is a show of confidence in my work.”
Other members of the secretariat are deputy general secretary Jaap Wienen, president Antonio Felicio of CUT Brazil, deputy presidents Maria Fernanda Carvalho Francisco of UNTA-CS Angola and Karl-Petter Thorwaldsson of LO Sweden.
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Chibebe said his duties involved capacitating labour unions and government, adding that Zimbabwe would also benefit from his position.
“Having worked well with the colleagues in Zimbabwe and knowing their situation, if the Zimbabwean issue is on the table, I will be able to articulate it clearly knowing them the way I do, “he said.
Unions represented at the congress committed to organise more than 27 million new members over the coming years and support a minimum wage on which workers can live with dignity and end the cycle of poverty wages in supply chains of global corporations.
Chibebe left his post at the ZCTU to join ITUC in 2011 following several run-ins with State security agents. He was replaced by Japhet Moyo.
